President Trump calls Paul to negotiate health care bill

LOUISVILLE — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is one of five Senate Republicans in opposition to the Senate health care bill meant to replace the Affordable Care Act, and now President Trump wants to know how to bring the Kentucky Republican on board.

Paul along with several other Republicans say the bill does not do enough to lower health costs. The Bowling Green Republican told reporters in Louisville that the Senate bill would have the taxpayers propping up insurance companies.

Appearing in Louisville Monday morning Paul told Pure Politics that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other leadership has not been negotiating, so Trump has stepped in with a phone call over the weekend.

“We talked mostly about the health care bill, and what it would take to make the health care bill such that I would vote for it,” Paul said. “I told him if we can make it more repeal and less that we’re keeping Obamacare, and it has to be fiscally conservative.”

Paul also said he and Trump talked about “legalizing the sale of inexpensive insurance.”

Refusing to specifically characterize Trump’s reaction to Paul’s idea’s, Kentucky’s junior Senator said the president was open to some of the ideas.

“I encouraged him that he needs to also push leadership to negotiate,” Paul said. “We’re not getting a lot back from leadership. We have offered to negotiate … this has to be a negotiation or there won’t be any kind of bill.”

McConnell has set a deadline for a vote on the legislation for Friday before the Congressional recess. Currently McConnell can only lose two votes from the Republican caucus and still pass the legislation.